Backstage: Flamenco guitar, French pop bring weekend fun

WASHINGTON — This weekend’s top concerts include a flamenco guitar master, French pop and a Brazilian legend.

Scheduled for Friday at the Music Center at Strathmore, Brazillian composer and musician Sergio Mendes performs.

Mendes has been writing and performing for more than 50 years. Some of his recent collaborations have included Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Justin Timberlake.

Watch the video for “Funky Bahia”:

Scheduled for Saturday at the Birchmere, Ottmar Liebert performs.

Liebert helped to establish “new flamenco” music in the early ’90s. His latest album, “Three-Oh-Five” continues his explorations into Latin, Jazz, and Middle Eastern influences, prominently featuring electric guitar.

Watch Liebert and his band Luna Negra in a 2013 performance:

Phoenix performs Saturday at Echostage. The French quartet is known for their extremely catchy pop rock, and have toured worldwide with stops at major festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza.

Watch Phoenix perform their song, “1901” from a Live on Letterman concert:

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